Observer photo by Karen PikeChamplain Valley Union High’s Katie Longshore (10), Lucy Barrett (2) and Emmaleigh Loyer (right) celebrate the field hockey team’s second goal of the first half during Saturday’s Division 1 championship game against Hartford. Longshore scored the goal, and CVU went on to win the game, held at University of Vermont, by a 3-0 score.

While the Champlain Valley Union High girls cross country team lost out in its bid for a sixth straight Division 1 state championship on Saturday at Thetford Academy, the boys team came within a mere three points of knocking off favored winner Essex High.

Led by Tony Sulva, who finished in second just four second behind winner David Sinclair of Green Mountain Valley School (17:40), the boys team finished with 52 points. Essex emerged victorious with 49 points.

A return to the Vermont Division 3 playoffs will have to wait a year after the Redhawks’ 2008 hopes were dashed on Saturday by Route 116 neighbor Mount Abraham Union High.

Observer photo by Karen PikeChamplain Valley Union High players Kyle Goodrich (34), Konnor Fleming (10) and Collin Teator (26) take down Mount Abraham Union’s Josh Masterson during the Redhawks’ game against the Eagles on Saturday. CVU’s season came to an end with the 8-0 loss.

After the 13 Champlain Valley Union High seniors gave parents the final home game traditional red roses, the visiting Eagles (3-5) laid a muscular defense and an 8-0 nipping on the Hawks. The defeat left 3-5 CVU out of the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.

The lone score of the game came early — before the rains — and left the Redhawks trying for an elusive paydirt trip during the remainder of the windy and wet afternoon.

After CVU marched to the Mount Abe 40, where the game’s first possession stalled on a fourth and inches stop, the Eagles rumbled into the end zone in six plays. Halfback Josh Masterson smashed in from 5 yards out after big “bullback” Pat West had crashed through the CVU defense for 22 yards in three lugs.

West then busted his way through the defense for the two points-after.

After exchanges of punts, CVU put together its best offensive thrust of the day, going on the ground and through the air from its own 37 to the Eagles’ 15 before time ran out in the first half.

The drive was sparked by quarterback Konnor Fleming, who picked up nine valuable yards and a pair of first downs on keepers, along with pass completions to receivers Stephan Fortin (6 and 14 yards), J. P. Benoit (9 yards) and, as time ticked off the clock, to Tommy Powers, a 5-yarder that the halfback got to the 15 before he was brought down.

In the second half, CVU saw drives halted at the Mount Abe 31 and 35 in the final quarter. On both occasions the Eagles’ defense shut down a fourth-and-inches situation.

Mount Abe had the game’s final possession and ran out the clock at the CVU 25 after two first down smashes by the tough 220-pound West, who racked up 122 yards in 22 carries. His sidekick, Masterson, picked up 56 yards on 16 trips.

Team will reload in 2009

Oct. 30, 2008

By Mal Boright

Observer correspondent

Following his team’s 2-0 quarterfinal loss to second-seeded South Burlington High on Friday, disappointed Champlain Valley Union High soccer coach T.J. Mead was philosophical about his team’s first early exit from the Division 1 playoffs in seven years.

Observer photo by Ben SarleChamplain Valley Union High senior Brayden McKenna (12) winds up for a pass during Friday’s playoff game against South Burlington High. South Burlington knocked off the Redhawks, 2-0, ending CVU’s bid for a seventh-straight Division 1 title.

“Our expectations are always for nothing less than a championship,” Mead said. “We underachieved in the regular season and in the postseason, but it was not for lack of effort.”

Having lost 13 graduates from the 2007 team that captured the Redhawks’ sixth consecutive title, CVU (8-6-2) fielded one of its youngest teams in years.

(At least two of those graduates from last year’s team, co-captains Tyler Macnee and Micah Rose, are playing on college varsity teams this fall.)

Young or not, the Redhawks were not the team South Burlington coach Tom Schaeffer wanted to be paired against so early in the playoffs.

“We did not want to see them now,” Schaeffer said, even though the Rebels had nipped CVU twice during the regular season.

The affable Rebel coach had too many memories of South Burlington losses to CVU in two of the last three Division 1 title games, and a semifinal defeat in the other.

Thus it was a great sigh of relief that came from Schaeffer after the contest.

And Schaeffer is no doubt well aware that next fall the Redhawks will be flapping their wings again — players from the undefeated jayvee team will fill out roster spots left by nine departing seniors.

As for the game itself, Mead said his team “worked extremely hard,” but played, “in spurts.”

The Rebel goals were of the accidental variety, but as Mead allowed, “each goal is worth as much as a bicycle kick from midfield.”

After a scoreless first 40 minutes, South Burlington scored with just over four minutes gone in the second half. Mark Mallory’s shot ricocheted from an upright, glanced off a defending Redhawk near the goal line and dribbled into the cage.

CVU net minder Chris Howard said he had the goal covered but the ball unfortunately bounced off a defender.

The Redhawks, with Matt Sulva and Kyle Logan leading downfield charges, got to the Rebels’ last line of defense, but could not get a ball on goalie Sam Phelps. According to the official book, Phelps had two saves. This account had him with seven.

South Burlington got its second tally with 4:16 remaining in the game. Ethan Martin, who drew an assist on the first goal, got loose on a breakaway. Howard came out some 20 yards to stop him, but the ball bounced a few feet away and Martin recovered in time to launch a snap shot into the cage.

CVU’s best scoring opportunity came midway through the first half. Midfielder Nick Hart, from about 20 yards out, launched a vicious direct kick at the South Burlington cage. Phelps, leaping across the goal mouth, just got to the ball to stop it from angling into the left corner.

It was the last time in the red soccer flannels for seniors Tom Eddy, Andrew Lieberman, Marc Vecchio. Colin Frost, Brayden McKenna, Dan Lambert, Jack Jesset, Howard and Sulva.

At press time on Wednesday, coach Brad Parker and his Champlain Valley Union High girls soccer team were at Burlington High trying to overcome the last hurdle between them and Saturday’s Division 1 championship contest.

The top-seeded, 13-2 Seahorses presented a serious test for the 11-4 and fourth-seeded Redhawks. Not only had Burlington nudged CVU twice (1-0 at Burlington and 2-1 at Hinesburg) during the regular season, but it was on this field last October that the Seahorses knocked the Redhawks out of the playoffs in a hotly contested 1-0 match.

A victory would give CVU a shot at its second championship in three years.

Wednesday’s other semifinal featured second-seeded Essex High (13-2) against 14th-seeded upstart Colchester High (4-11-1).

The Redhawks earned the semifinal appearance with an overtime, 1-0 home triumph over 12th-seeded Mount Mansfield Union on Saturday. CVU had scored 3-0 (home) and 2-1 (road) wins over the Cougars during the season, but in the playoffs little comes easily.

The lone goal came off the foot of captain Asia Sienko with about 1:30 gone on the extra session. Erica Gobeille set up the shot with a pass. It was Sienko’s second score in two playoff games.

Goalie Emily Sackett had six stops to pick up the Redhawks’ eighth shutout in 16 games. CVU hammered a total of 16 shots at the Cougars’ goal.

Last Wednesday, CVU opened its title chase with a 4-0 victory over visiting Bellows Free Academy of St. Albans on Jahala Dudley’s two scores and singletons by Sienko and Emma Eddy.

Musical opens next week

Oct. 30, 2008

By Tim Simard

Observer staff

There was a noticeable buzz of excitement in the Champlain Valley Union High School auditorium on Monday afternoon. Cast and crew of the upcoming production of “Rent” saw their weeks of hard work coming together. An industrial-style set was ready for rehearsal and the six-piece band took its place under the metal railings and catwalks.

Observer photo by Stephen MeaseVocal Music Director Nate Venet at the piano goes over a song with Ethan Tischler (left) and Eric Ziegleman. CVU Drama’s fall musical ‘Rent’ will be on stage at Champlain Valley Union High School Nov. 5-8. For tickets, call 482-6955.

With just over a week before show time, some cast members couldn’t wait for the curtain to open for real in what could be CVU’s most adult-themed play.

“It’s to the point where I know it’s going to be really exciting and I can’t believe it’s almost here,” said Alex Hovi, a Williston cast member.

CVU Drama Director Sebastian Ryder said CVU is one of a handful of high schools in the country to perform “Rent.” The production’s subject matter and story plays well with high school students — both performers and audience members. Ryder said the musical embodies one of her favorite Mahatma Gandhi quotes she likes to tell her students: “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

“Thematically, (‘Rent’) is brilliant for high school students,” Ryder said.

A two-act musical, “Rent” tells the story of a group of young musicians and artists living in New York City’s Lower East Side in the 1990s. Much of the subject matter revolves around homosexuality and AIDS, and life and death. The musical has won several Tony awards and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was made into a feature film in 2005.

Observer photo by Stephen MeaseThe cast of CVU Drama’s production of ‘Rent.’

Playwright Jonathan Larson, who based much of the work on Giacomo Puccini’s opera “La Boheme,” wrote the words and music. Larson died in 1996 from an aortic aneurysm just prior to “Rent’s” opening performance.

The musical just finished up its run on Broadway in September after more than 5,100 performances spanning 12 years.

The version of “Rent” the CVU cast will perform is a little different than the original Broadway production. A few lines in the song “La Vie Boheme” have been removed due to drug references and the song “Contact” was removed completely. A few lines of dialogue have also been altered. The changes are part of “Rent: School Edition” licensed by Music Theatre International.

Twenty-two students have been cast in various roles, some big and some small, although all have important stage time, Ryder said.

And even with the scope of adult themes presented in the musical, Ryder said the students understand the responsibility of giving an honest performance. She said the cast has been one of the most professional she’s worked with.

“These students are among the best,” Ryder said. “I’ve worked with college students who aren’t as good or have the skills necessary to pull off convincing performances.”

Many cast members said they’d been familiar with “Rent” since middle school.

“We all know the show really well,” said Ali Barnes, a Charlotte cast member. Barnes plays the mother of Mimi Marquez, an exotic dancer with HIV.

Hovi had done a few plays during his middle school years, but hadn’t tried out for any high school play until “Rent” came along. He plays Angel, a gay drag queen with AIDS.

Hinesburg cast member Hilary Whitney, who plays Joanne, a bisexual lawyer, said her familiarity with the songs made it easier to learn the entire musical. Much of the play is sung, with only a few sections of spoken word.

“Music is a lot easier to memorize than lines,” Whitney said.

The starkness of the set also plays a major part in the production. The set was designed by St. George student Matt Winter, who built it as part of his graduation challenge. Completed over a four-day period last week, Winter welded and constructed the giant set, complete with ladders and railings, with the help of CVU’s tech department.

For the design, Winter read the script and looked at pictures of New York City to give him ideas. His family background with the Lyric Theatre Company in Burlington gave him experience in building sets.

“I’ve grown up building sets, but this is the first time I’ve ever designed one from scratch,” Winter said.

Ryder said the cast is excited and nervous at the same time. She also said she’s never convinced a play will come out OK until the curtain opens. Even then there are nerves, but she said she keeps her faith in her student performers. She hopes this play will be an unforgettable one for the CVU community.

“I think if everybody in the world saw ‘Rent’ or did a production of it, there would be no more war,” Ryder said.

“Rent” premieres Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 7:30 p.m. and runs through Nov. 8. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors and can be purchased in advance at 482-6955.

Musical opens next week

Oct. 30, 2008

By Tim Simard

Observer staff

There was a noticeable buzz of excitement in the Champlain Valley Union High School auditorium on Monday afternoon. Cast and crew of the upcoming production of “Rent” saw their weeks of hard work coming together. An industrial-style set was ready for rehearsal and the six-piece band took its place under the metal railings and catwalks.

Observer photo by Stephen MeaseVocal Music Director Nate Venet at the piano goes over a song with Ethan Tischler (left) and Eric Ziegleman. CVU Drama’s fall musical ‘Rent’ will be on stage at Champlain Valley Union High School Nov. 5-8. For tickets, call 482-6955.

With just over a week before show time, some cast members couldn’t wait for the curtain to open for real in what could be CVU’s most adult-themed play.

“It’s to the point where I know it’s going to be really exciting and I can’t believe it’s almost here,” said Alex Hovi, a Williston cast member.

CVU Drama Director Sebastian Ryder said CVU is one of a handful of high schools in the country to perform “Rent.” The production’s subject matter and story plays well with high school students — both performers and audience members. Ryder said the musical embodies one of her favorite Mahatma Gandhi quotes she likes to tell her students: “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

“Thematically, (‘Rent’) is brilliant for high school students,” Ryder said.

A two-act musical, “Rent” tells the story of a group of young musicians and artists living in New York City’s Lower East Side in the 1990s. Much of the subject matter revolves around homosexuality and AIDS, and life and death. The musical has won several Tony awards and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was made into a feature film in 2005.

Observer photo by Stephen MeaseThe cast of CVU Drama’s production of ‘Rent.’

Playwright Jonathan Larson, who based much of the work on Giacomo Puccini’s opera “La Boheme,” wrote the words and music. Larson died in 1996 from an aortic aneurysm just prior to “Rent’s” opening performance.

The musical just finished up its run on Broadway in September after more than 5,100 performances spanning 12 years.

The version of “Rent” the CVU cast will perform is a little different than the original Broadway production. A few lines in the song “La Vie Boheme” have been removed due to drug references and the song “Contact” was removed completely. A few lines of dialogue have also been altered. The changes are part of “Rent: School Edition” licensed by Music Theatre International.

Twenty-two students have been cast in various roles, some big and some small, although all have important stage time, Ryder said.

And even with the scope of adult themes presented in the musical, Ryder said the students understand the responsibility of giving an honest performance. She said the cast has been one of the most professional she’s worked with.

“These students are among the best,” Ryder said. “I’ve worked with college students who aren’t as good or have the skills necessary to pull off convincing performances.”

Many cast members said they’d been familiar with “Rent” since middle school.

“We all know the show really well,” said Ali Barnes, a Charlotte cast member. Barnes plays the mother of Mimi Marquez, an exotic dancer with HIV.

Hovi had done a few plays during his middle school years, but hadn’t tried out for any high school play until “Rent” came along. He plays Angel, a gay drag queen with AIDS.

Hinesburg cast member Hilary Whitney, who plays Joanne, a bisexual lawyer, said her familiarity with the songs made it easier to learn the entire musical. Much of the play is sung, with only a few sections of spoken word.

“Music is a lot easier to memorize than lines,” Whitney said.

The starkness of the set also plays a major part in the production. The set was designed by St. George student Matt Winter, who built it as part of his graduation challenge. Completed over a four-day period last week, Winter welded and constructed the giant set, complete with ladders and railings, with the help of CVU’s tech department.

For the design, Winter read the script and looked at pictures of New York City to give him ideas. His family background with the Lyric Theatre Company in Burlington gave him experience in building sets.

“I’ve grown up building sets, but this is the first time I’ve ever designed one from scratch,” Winter said.

Ryder said the cast is excited and nervous at the same time. She also said she’s never convinced a play will come out OK until the curtain opens. Even then there are nerves, but she said she keeps her faith in her student performers. She hopes this play will be an unforgettable one for the CVU community.

“I think if everybody in the world saw ‘Rent’ or did a production of it, there would be no more war,” Ryder said.

“Rent” premieres Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 7:30 p.m. and runs through Nov. 8. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors and can be purchased in advance at 482-6955.

Off-Season Market starts Nov. 15

I would like to thank everyone in the community for supporting the Williston Farmers’ Market. It was another very successful season with many returning and several new vendors. The market just keeps growing and will continue with support from the community and the hard work and wonderful products from the vendors.

The Williston Farmers’ Market is very excited to announce that there will be an Off-Season Market once a month from November until April. This is a great way to continue getting local produce, specialty foods and unique one-of-a kind gifts for the holidays and throughout the winter months.

If you are interested in becoming a vendor for the Off-Season Market or for next year’s regular season market, please contact me at 872-7728.

Place: Old Brick Church Meeting Room, Route 2, across from the Town Hall; parking is behind the church via Library Lane.

Plans for an upcoming Youth Market to be held during the Off-Season Market are under way. Be sure to check the Williston School Bell and the Web site www.willistonfarmersmarket.com for upcoming details.

Christina Mead, market founder/manager

Williston

WING group says thanks

As members of the Williston Community Celebrations Committee, an outgrowth of WING, we wish to thank the following for supporting our successful community potluck held on Oct. 17: numerous area businesses, Williston Federated Church, Town of Williston/WING, Jessica Androletti, Williston Observer, Brick Church Music Series, Williston Central School administration and custodial staff, Williston businesses who hosted our signs and community members who heeded the call for help.

We invite interested community members — whether you live or work in Williston — to join us at our next planning meeting on Thursday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. Call 879-1499 to RSVP and for directions.

Reconsider affordable housing

By Debbie Ingram

As evidenced by the article in the Oct. 16 Williston Observer (“Neighbors disappointed by subdivision’s progress”) and my own experience as a member of the Williston Planning Commission, there is a disturbing lack of awareness by many Williston residents of the crucial need for and ultimate benefit of building affordable housing in our town.

I was dismayed to read that some, referring to plans for a new affordable residential development off North Williston Road, expressed concern that “these people” — those who would move into the affordable housing — would “negatively affect” the existing neighborhood on Lefebvre Lane. These comments unfortunately belong to the entrenched, obstructionist thinking usually referred to as “Not in My Back Yard,” or NIMBY.

As executive director of Vermont Interfaith Action, a faith-based community organizing project made up of 11 congregations in Chittenden and Washington Counties that advocates for increasing affordable housing, among other issues, I would ask all Williston residents to both consider the facts and understand the human stories behind the facts before making judgments about building affordable housing near our own homes.

The facts are overwhelming: The median price of a home in Williston is currently $320,000 (housingdata.org). To afford that, a household would need an annual income of about $105,000 and $22,000 for closing costs — yet the actual median income for a family of four is $70,100.

Obviously the median home price is far out of the reach of more than half of wage earners — and this includes persons who contribute valuable services to our community, like our schoolteachers, police officers, firefighters and those employed at our retail establishments in Taft Corners. These individuals and their families do not have a hope of living in the community where they work unless we make a concerted effort to encourage the development of housing that costs less than market rates.

Those who would live in such housing are not deadbeats, drug addicts, or criminals — the stereotypes of residents of the housing projects of the ’60s and ’70s. They are hard-working Vermonters who deserve the opportunity to be a real part of the communities that benefit from their labor.

To hear the stories of those who would be affected, I encourage skeptics to ask their child’s schoolteacher, or one of our town employees, or the check-out person at the grocery store, where they live. If these folks reveal they cannot afford to live in Williston, I hope their answer will bring an added human dimension to a very real problem that our Development Review Board, Planning Commission and Selectboard, as well as some developers and landowners, are seeking to address when they encourage the development of affordable housing. We need the support of all Williston residents, not their reluctance and criticism.

Williston resident and Planning Commission member Debbie Ingram is the executive director of Vermont Interfaith Action, a faith-based community organizing project made up of 11 congregations in Chittenden and Washington counties. Vermont Interfaith Action represents 3,000 Vermonters.

A leg up on lamb

The weather is brisker and it’s time to turn our merry-making indoors. For a cozy buffet, a grilled leg of lamb provides a stunning main attraction. I like to serve it with goat cheese scalloped potatoes, balsamic-glazed roasted beets and maple butternut squash. For a quick herb-infused sauce to serve on the side, I simply strain and boil the lamb marinade and add a bit of crème fraiche.

There is a special time-tested technique to grilling the somewhat unwieldy, yabba-dabba-doo leg of lamb. The meat is grilled for exactly 11 minutes on each side in a closed, medium-hot grill. The lamb is then removed from the grill and set to rest in sealed foil for 20 minutes and up to 2 hours. Because of the uneven terrain of a butterflied leg of lamb, this method yields a nicely charred exterior, and perfectly cooked slices in the rare to medium range — just enough variety to please the whole crowd.

What’s the best part of this meal besides the show-stopping food? The all-important do-ahead factor: grilled lamb is resting while the side dishes are popped into the oven before guests even come through the door. The scene is a warm welcome, intoxicating aromas and relaxed hosts — now that’s a leg up on hospitality anytime of the year!

Herb marinated leg of lamb

(serves 10 to 12)

Order a 7- to 8-pound butterfly leg of lamb (the bone is removed.) Place lamb in a large non-metallic bowl or double encase 2 1-gallon zip lock bags.

Heat grill to medium-high, then lower to medium hot when ready to grill. Strain marinade into a saucepan and simmer over medium heat for at least 15 minutes. Stir in 4 ounces of crème fraiche, and adjust for seasoning. Pour into a gravy server.

Grill lamb for 11 minutes on each side, turning with tongs, for a total of 22 minutes maximum (trust me.) Place grilled meat in a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil lining a cookie sheet and seal tightly. Lamb must rest at least 20 minutes before carving and will hold up to 2 hours.

Kim Dannies is a graduate of La Varenne Cooking School in France. She lives in Williston with her husband, Jeff; they have three college-aged daughters. For archived Everyday Gourmet columns go to kimdannies.com.